Introduction

• My writing, training, design and instructional approaches are fueled by my career expertise in customer interaction, product training and software deployment. Formal graphics design and page layout experience allow me to create attractive and compelling materials. I have successfully leveraged content strategies to give highly effective structure to complex environments e.g. Oil Gas, IT, telephony, web hosting providers, as well as international marketing endeavors .
• I have further utilized a variety of communication mediums to effectively connect with specific target audiences, and thus better fulfill business objectives.

Target Communication

• Even the brightest among us may not be the most articulate. Even the most articulate among us may not be the most effective at reaching a particular audience. The reality is that in today's business you not only need to communicate specifically to your audience, you need to shape the perception of how that message will be received.
• Regardless of the communication medium presentations, video scripts, training programs, marketing campaigns, or simple Word documents I have had measured success doing that at many different levels, and to many different audiences.
• Robert Follett
• Resume Gaps
• Since leaving my long-term position at Shell in December of 2013 I have been very active working small contract jobs Signa Engineering Instructional Designer, Repsol Sr. Technical Writer, etc. . For sake of clarity and to avoid clutter, I have omitted these contracts, as they often mirror the same or similar skill sets listed below.

Experience

NOTE: The many roles that I held within Shell E P organization were executed under two titles for multiple managers across various OUs of the organization throughout a nearly eight year period. They are categorized here by role for clarity.

Sr. Communications Consultant/ Sr. Technical Writer

confidential

• ASSURING ACCURACY: Coordinate information flow between product managers, programmers, testing teams, and user education personnel to ensure accuracy and quality within the user documentation, training materials and video creation.
• CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS: Work closely with upper-management on formulating content for highly confidential messages, such as business plans, marketing campaigns, and sensitive up-stream communication
• PROFESSIONAL FILTER: Served as the lead editor and information coordinator for over 200 highly visible geophysical-related documents, including articles for internal technical journals, business plans, Tollgate documents, Web pages, user guides, training material, posters, brochures, videos, etc.
• AUDIENCE CLARITY: Evaluate technical topics/materials and distill key information relevant for both technical and non-technical audiences

Sr. Communications Consultant/ Sr. Technical Writer Cont.

confidential

• VERSATILITY: Work under multiple titles to manage corporate communication at a variety of levels training, seminars, journals, marketing media, up-stream communication to upper management , and international presentations
• CONSISTENT CORPORATE VOICE: Regularly advise Shell's internal marketing teams on customizing messages to specific audiences
• TRUSTED: Personally commissioned by Shell's VP of Subsurface Wells Software to manage multiple high profile internal marketing campaigns
• MARKET PENETRATION: Commissioned as the lead consultant and Subject Matter Expert to design and develop an iPad marketing campaign for external market penetration
• UX Architect/Lead UX Designer User Experience Professional

confidential

• LEAD CONSULTANT: Serve as the lead UX consultant for subsurface imaging and interpretation software at Shell international
• CONTENT STRATEGY: Access OU content, map out where that content would be best positioned for customer needs, and then create graphical examples of how that content would look in a well-branded graphical UX environment
• FIT-FOR-PURPOSE DESIGN: Created and standardized a variety of UX designs that provide effective and solid UX interfaces across a wide range of technologically diverse environments
• FONT OPTIMIZATION: Identify areas of software, portals and Web sites, where using alternate font options would optimize readability or legibility depending on which is needed
• UP- AND DOWN-STREAM COMMUNICATION: Coordinate information flow between product managers, UX teams, testing teams, programmers, scientists and product testers users , to ensure accuracy and quality for each UX/UI project
• SHAREPOINT MIGRATION: Manage challenging content migrations across multiple internal organizations in extremely diverse oil gas environments
• CUSTOMIZING CONTENT: Evaluate client content, and rework as needed for better communication and branding to the target audience s
• eTraining, Video Creation, Voice-Overs Marketing Specialist

confidential

• PRODUCT CLARIFICATION: Help internal departments communicate the value proposition of product lines and services
• STANDARDIZING: Developed and implemented graphics and layout standards to improve consistency across different media
• PROCESS OPTOMIZATING: Improved the product documentation processes and management strategy from two weeks to a single day
• DIGITAL MEDIA: Provide full-circle eLearning and promotional video production script writing, voice-over, directing, producing, and creation
• CORPORATE COMPLIANCE: Edit and proof all types of international marketing collateral technical documents in compliance with corporate conventions
• PERSONAL CHOICE: Personally commissioned by Shell's VP of Subsurface Wells Software to manage multiple high profile internal marketing campaigns
• eTraining, Video Creation, Voice-Overs Marketing Specialist Cont.

confidential

• EFFECTIVE, REGARDLESS OF THE MEDIUM: Use a variety of professional-level graphics, audio, video, and music software to create effective marketing and instructional materials for worldwide geophysical conferences, marketing campaigns, and training programs.
• ROYALTY: Commissioned to create a video highlighting Shell-developed subsurface technologies for the 2009 inauguration of the Qatar Science Technology Park QTSP . The video was personally presented to the Sheikh of Qatar by the then CEO of Shell

UX/UI Lead / Sr. Technical Writer

confidential

• CAPABLE: Commissioned to design and develop first-generation instructional documentation, training materials, internal communication campaigns, and user interface for a proprietary Linux-based global provisioning system
• COLLABORATING: Collaborated with SMEs across the organization to develop content for multiple audiences, including managers, support personnel, geophysicists, geologists, etc.
• USABILITY TESTING: Conducted Alignment meetings, persona research, and usability tests to identify the most highly functional user interface for the identified target audience s
• PROFESSIONAL CONSISTENT MESSAGING: Created clear, logical, and concise print and electronic deliverables that remained consistent in tone and voice, and aligned with branding and business key messages
• COMMUNICATION: Regularly consulted with leadership, project management, technical experts, and other staff to ensure a common and accurate understanding of interface and materials to be produced
• WIREFRAMING: Implemented layouts, graphics, drawings, tables, illustrations, charts, or storyboards to amplify or clarify each deliverable's objectives
• VOICE, LOOK FEEL: Reviewed, edited, and restructured deliverables prepared by others for grammatical accuracy, conciseness, style, clarity, tone, voice, and design consistency
• MEETING DELIVERABLES: Coordinated the efforts of a small team of writers, graphic artists, and developers to ensure that assigned projects adhere to agreed-upon timelines, scope, and quality
• CREATING STANDARDS: Created and maintained document templates, design standards, graphics standards, and communication guidelines to create consistency across all design and communication efforts

Sr. Instructional Designer / Sr. Technical Trainer

confidential

• CAPABLE: Commissioned to architect a technical training program for the then-largest international web host provider
• INVESTIGATING: Worked closely with team leads, supervisors, managers and department heads in identifying and coordinating advanced training needs
• CUSTOMIZING: Conducted face-to-face interviews with stakeholders, project managers, in-house designers, in-house developers, trainers, and customer service representatives i.e. subject matter experts to identify the training deficiencies and to align all perceived needs with the expectations, business objectives, time lines, and budget s .
• KEEPING THE AUDIENCE IN MIND: Exercised instructional design, course development, and corporate training experience for both technical and non-technical audiences
• VERSATILE CURRICULUM: Implemented a modular, cost-effective training program that could be used company-wide, with department-specific portions added as needed

Sr. Instructional Designer / Sr. Technical Trainer Cont.

confidential

• IMPROVING THE TALENT BASE: Implemented a recruiting program with local colleges to on-board more technical and motivated new-hires
• IMMEDIATE RESULTS: Formed a highly efficient training team, utilizing less staff, and creating more knowledgeable employees
• IMPROVING THE ENVIRONMENT: Reduced costly employee turn-over and low morale by effectively managing and creating a goal-oriented work environment with standardized expectations
• AGILE PROCESS: Conducted focus groups and tracked employee competence and turn-overs to determine if current curriculum was meeting department s needs
• EXPANDING SUCCESS: Later commissioned to design and implement the training framework for the company's six remaining internal departments - with similar success
• CREATING STANDARDS: Established company-wide standards for documentation, and printed media using documentation styles, templates, and master documents
• CURRICULUM: Responsible for the research, design, development, and deployment of all corporate communication and documentation e.g. internal and external presentations, instructional guides, on-line help systems, content for Web-based resource centers, marketing materials, and a 400 page corporate-level training manual

Software

Adobe Creative Suite CS2, CS3, CS4, CS5 Apache, Desktop Publishing utilities In-Design, Scribus, Quark Xpress, Pagemaker , Emulation VMWare, Wine, VPS, Mind mapping tools, MS Virtual Server, Zen , Image editors Photoshop, GIMP, Pixelmator , Lotus Domino Designer Database , MS Office Excel, Word, Power Point, Publisher, Visio , OpenOffice Calc, Writer, Impress, Databases, macros, master documents, templates, styles , Remote management utilities PC Anywhere, VNC , RoboHelp 2000, X5 , Samba, Security tools Snort, Nessus, Satan, Tripwire , SharePoint 2007, 2010 , Vector graphics utilities Inkscape, Illustrator, FireWorks , Web site creation utilities Bluefish, Quanta , DreamWeaver, NVU, Composer, SharePoint Designer , Web-based administration utilities Plesk, Cpanel, Helm, Ensim , X-Server utilities Hummingbird, StarNet , video creation software Captivate, Articulate, and Camtasia , Sound editing software Audacity, Avid, Ableton Live, LMMS, Traverso, Ardour, Rose Garden, Jokosher , Wireframing Applications Pencil, UXPin , LiveLink, Subversion

Operating Systems

• Linux Red Hat, SUSE, Mandriva , Mac OSX, UNIX Sun OS, Solaris, AIX, BSD, FreeBSD, Open BSD , Windows NT, 2000, XP, 2003, 2007, Vista, 2008
• Computer Languages
• HTML, XML, CSS, Perl, PHP, Shell BASH, csh, Korn, zsh